“there she stands, proud in all her glory.” county missouri

County RecordMissouri

Spring 2011

Shelby County Courthouse, Shelbyville, MO

• Different Roles, Common Goals -- p. 2• Greene County DWI Court Honored -- p. 7• Advance Voting, Photo ID Proposals -- p. 10• Secure Rural Schools Funding -- p. 14• Courthouse Art And Artifacts -- p. 16• Missouri County Statistics -- p. 18• 9-1-1 Day At The Capitol -- p. 26

“There she stands, proud in all her glory.”

2011 Board Of DirectorsPresident Debbi McGinnis, Polk Co.

President-Elect Rodger Reedy, Benton Co.2nd VP Carol Green, Phelps Co.

3rd VP Tom Dirnberger, Scott Co. Treasurer Shelley Harvey, Audrain Co.

Past President Eva Danner Horton, Livingston Co.Mark Hedrick, St. Fancois County

Randy Pike, Bates CountyPat Lensmeyer, Boone County

Becky Schofield, Dallas CountySusette Taylor, Atchison County

Scot Van Meter, Buchanan CountyDan Hausman, Buchanan CountyMichael Sanders, Jackson County

Curtis Koons, Jackson County Mike Whelan, Monroe CountyDwayne Carey, Boone CountyNelson Heil, Carroll County

Jim Platt, Bates CountyCher Caudel, Moniteau County

Wendy Nordwald, Warren CountyAnn Schroeder, Franklin County

Sharon Birkman, Franklin CountyCharlie Dooley, St. Louis County

Ken Waller, Jefferson CountyCharles Dean, Phelps County

Herman Kelly, Shannon CountyRodney Richardet, Perry County

Jim Atchison, Pemiscot CountyGary Youngblood, Barry County

Jim Viebrock, Greene County Richard Struckhoff, Greene County

Brenda Day, Wright CountyBonnie McCord, Vernon CountyDarieus Adams, Jasper County

Archie Dunn, Jasper CountyJerry Reynolds, Cape Girardeau County

Clint Tracy, Cape Girardeau CountyBeverly Thomas, Camden CountyEddie Whitworth, Camden County

Chris Wrigley, Cole CountyMarvin Register, Cole County

Pam Shipley, Cass CountyBrian Baker, Cass County

Jim Strafuss, Taney County James Strahan, Taney County

Donald Kritzer, Callaway CountyDan Roe, Callaway County

Scott Sader, Johnson CountyDebbie Door, Franklin County

Richard Webster Jr., Jasper CountyMark Reynolds, Johnson County

Pamela Williams, St. Francois CountyLouella Pryor, Morgan CountySteve Cox, Livingston County

Christy Blakemore, Boone CountyTerry Edwards, Platte County

Carole Wilkerson, Cedar CountyStephen Holt, Jasper County Karen Miller, Boone County

Ron Houseman, Taney CountyDon Troutman, Texas County

The Missouri County Record Vol. 17, No. 1

A Publication Of The Missouri Association Of Counties516 East Capitol Avenue, PO Box 234, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0234

Telephone: (573) 634-2120 Fax: (573) 634-3549www.mocounties.com

Dick Burke, Executive Director Mary Ellen Brennan, Assistant Director Bev Cunningham, Insurance/Business Manager Cindy Wells, Finance and Operations Manager Charles Harrison, Administrative Assistant Grace Toebben, Administrative Assistant Bob Holthaus, Loss Prevention Coordinator Jay Shipman, Communications Director

The Missouri Association of Counties, founded in 1972, is a nonprofit corporation and lobbying alliance of county elected and administrative officials who work to improve services for Missouri taxpayers. The board of directors meets on the third Wednesday of designated months in Jefferson City to promote passage of priority bills and monitor other legislation before the state General Assembly and the United States Congress. The Missouri County Record is produced four times annually by the association staff. Subscription rates for non-association members are $15 per year prepaid. Rates for association members are included in membership service fees. All articles, photographs and graphics contained herein are the property of the association and may not be reproduced or published without permission. Advertising rates are available upon request.

2 www.mocounties.com

In 2008, The Missouri Association of Counties and the County Commis-sioners’ Association of Missouri adopted the National Association of Coun-ties’ slogan “Restore The Partnership” to describe the essential need for state representation and local officials to work together and communicate openly about the issues and challenges facing their constituents. Successful public service is driven by cooperation and understanding between state and local officials, a partnership in governance which, in fiscally challenging times, is more important than ever. Though their offices, duties and responsibilities are different, state legislators and county officials serve the same Missouri-ans, and both strive to accomplish the goals of those who elected them. The common desire to serve often leads many to either seek higher office as a lawmaker or to seek governance closest to the people. Term limits also play a significant part in the changing of roles for Mis-souri officeholders. In 1992, Missourians voted to adopt term limits. Many debate the benefits and negative consequences of limiting our legislators’ time in office. For better or worse, one consequence is the loss of institu-tional knowledge that comes with expiring terms. The Legislature works on many issues over a time period exceeding that of legislators’ terms in office; thus, the General Assembly perpetually has a significant portion of its body “learning the ropes” and ultimately lacking immediate historical knowledge of the process and issues at hand. Many county officials begin their careers of public service in county gov-ernment before pursuing a career serving a broader constituency. Also, be-cause of term limits, many state legislators decide to continue their service to Missourians at the local level when their tenure in the General Assembly is up. Missouri has a long, distinguished history of public servants mov-ing between the state General Assembly and their respective county seats. Having this unique experience of serving in both capacities helps bring perspective to each position, and such perspective aids in strengthening understanding at both the state and county levels regarding the challenges and needs of the people our elected officials serve.

From The County Seat To The Chamber, And Back Again

Different Roles, Common GoalsBy Dick Burke, Executive DirectorMissouri Association of Counties

www.mocounties.com 3

Former legislators who are now county officials (currently in office):

1. Roseann Bentley – Greene County Associate Commissioner2. Jim Viebrock – Greene County Presiding Commissioner3. Judy Berkstresser – Stone County Clerk4. Marilyn Ruestman – Newton County Presiding Commissioner5. Tom Self – Benton County Presiding Commissioner6. Jason Brown – Platte County Presiding Commissioner7. John Griesheimer – Franklin County Presiding Commissioner8. Ed Robb – Boone County Presiding Commissioner9. Dennis Wood – Stone County Presiding Commissioner10. Brian Baker – Cass County Associate Commissioner11. Steve Hobbs – Audrain County Presiding Commissioner12. Wes Wagner – Jefferson County Clerk13. Dan Ward – St. Francois County Assessor14. Sam Gaskill – McDonald County Associate Commissioner15. Ronnie Miller – Cedar County Treasurer 16. Ed Wildberger – Buchanan County Recorder17. James Murphy – St. Louis City Sheriff18. Jake Zimmerman -- St. Louis County Assessor19. Steve Ehlmann -- St. Charles County Executive20. Rich Chrismer -- St. Charles County Director of Elections21. Clint Tracy -- Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner

Former county officials who are now legislators:

Prior to 1992, Missouri had no limit to the number of terms state legislators were allowed to serve. On Nov. 3 of that year, 75 percent of Missouri voters approved an amendment to the Missouri Constitution (Article III, Sec. 8) establishing that legislators could serve no more than two 4-year terms in the Senate and four 2-year terms in the House (16 years total in the Missouri General Assembly). In 2002, this provision was amended to allow legislators who filled seats vacated after a term’s midpoint to subsequent-ly run for up to four complete two-year House terms and/or up to two complete four-year Senate terms. Before this amendment, filling a vacant seat counted as a full term of service. There has been a growing push from legislators in recent years to revise Missouri’s term limits. One proposal this session (Sen. Green’s SJR 12) would amend the Constitution to extend term limits for mem-bers of the General Assembly from eight years to 10 years in each chamber. This change would go into effect January of 2022. Another proposal (Rep. Gray’s HJR 28) would amend the Constitution to state that any member of the General Assembly would be allowed to serve no more than 16 total years in the House and/or Senate, but would be allowed to serve any portion of those years in either chamber. As would any proposed change to the current term limits, these changes would be in the form of constitutional amendments contingent upon Missouri voter approval.

About Missouri’sTerm Limits

Senate Members1. Victor Callahan2. Mike ParsonHouse Members3. Lyndall Fraker4. Randy Asbury5. Ron Casey

6. Pat Conway7. Tony Dugger8. Sue Entlicher9. Doug Funderburk10.Rodney Schad11.Paul Quinn12.Scott Largent

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www.mocounties.com6


For the second time in three years, the Greene County DWI Court has been named an Academy Court by the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI), in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Formal announcement of the award came on March 11 in the Greene County Judicial Courts Facility, Springfield, MO. Speakers included Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice William Ray Price; the Hon. Thomas Mountjoy, Greene County presiding judge; and the Hon. Peggy Davis, Greene County Drug Court/DWI Court commissioner.

The Greene County DWI Court is one of four Academy Courts named after a rigorous multi-phase evaluation and a scoring process. Greene County first earned the 3-year Academy Court designation in 2008. As an Academy Court, Greene County serves as a training site and provides technical assistance for other communities interested in reducing DWI repeat offenses through use of the DWI Courts. The other courts named are in Athens, GA, Newport Beach, CA, and Holland, MI.

The Greene County DWI Court uses accountability and long-term treatment to address the root causes of drunk driving: alcohol and other substance abuse. Participants are convicted DWI offenders who, rather

Greene County DWI Court Named Academy Courtthan serving a jail or prison sentence, are placed under court-supervised probation. They are required to undergo intensive treatment and counseling, submit to frequent supervision and random drug and alcohol testing, obtain employment or vocational training, and make regular appearances before a specially trained judge. Through DWI Court, participants learn how to

become productive members of society. Graduates typically obtain vocational and educational training, maintain stable employment, mend broken family relationships, and, through sobriety, become positive role models for their children.

According to the Office of the State Court Administrator, there are currently 3,000 participants in Drug or DWI Courts in the State of Missouri. Approximately 2,660 of the participants have been diverted from serving a prison sentence in the Department of Corrections. The incarceration cost to the state of

Missouri would be $43 million per year. The total cost to operate Drug and DWI Courts is only $16 million per year, therefore saving $27 million per year for the taxpayers of the state of Missouri.

For more information, call the Hon. Peggy Davis, Greene County Drug Court/DWI Court commissioner, or Marilyn Gibson, Drug Court/DWI Court administrator, at 417-829-6059.

On March 4, President Obama signed another Continu-ing Resolution which extends the federal highway program through Sept. 30, 2011(the end of the fiscal year). This is the seventh exten-sion of the highway-transit autho-rization (known as SAFETEA-LU) since Sept. 30, 2009, when it was originally set to expire. SAFETEA-LU contains $202 million for Missouri highway contracting authority, $17 million of which is apportioned for off-system bridge maintenance (the BRO program). We will keep you posted as to the status of any new highway funding authorization proposals.

Federal HighwayProgram Extended

(From left) Missouri Chief Justice William Ray Price, Hon. Peggy Davis, and Greene County As-sociate Commissioner Roseann Bentley (on behalf of Greene County) receive the honor for being desig-nated an Academy Court.

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Reforming Missouri’s election process has been a pri-ority for many in the General Assembly this session. Most notably, two issues continue to drive legislative action regarding elections: advance voting and photo identifica-tion requirements. Sen. Bill Stouffer’s SB 3 is the primary vehicle that would establish statewide advance voting and photo identification provisions. Upon voter approval, Sen. Stouffer’s SJR 2 would amend the Missouri Constitution to allow for these requirements to go into effect. (The House versions containing similar provisions are Rep. John Die-hl’s HB 329 and Rep. Stanley Cox’s HJR 14, respectively). With advance voting in specific, the primary focus at the county level is on resources and logistics. “Our main concern right now is with ad-vance voting,” stated Debbie Door, Franklin County clerk and president of the Mis-souri County Clerks’ Associa-tion and Election Authorities. “Many of our members are trying to anticipate the full scope of how these provisions would be implemented and how much it would cost.” The bill language speci-fies that advance voting would only take place if the money to do so is appropriated by the General Assembly and (as of press time) distributed to the counties; thus, there should be no fiscal impact to counties. That being said, the cost and resources necessary to carry out advance voting would be significant. For example, the fiscal note provided by Platte County calculates that it would cost approximately $47,950 to implement advance voting. These resources include facilities, employment of election judges and staff, utilities, communications (Inter-net and telephone services), hardware, and software neces-sary to comply with the law. Statewide, FY 2013 projections for county election authorities’ reimbursements is estimated to be $371,280. Total state costs to implement all advance voting and pho-to ID provisions that year are estimated to be $6,679,780. (A portion of these costs include one-time costs, from vot-ing machine purchases to photo ID notifications.) Besides the costs involved, provisions could potential-ly be confusing for voters. “Some of the proposed changes may be complicated for some,” stated Cooper County Clerk Darryl Kempf. “We simply want a process that is easy for voters to understand and streamlined for election authorities to efficiently implement.” Under current SB 3 language, mail-in absentee vot-ing will remain unchanged from the provisions already established under Secs. 115.275-115.304, RSMo. To vote absentee, beginning the sixth Tuesday prior to the elec-tion, voters will still have to mail in their ballots with a reason for voting absent listed on the accompanying enve-lope. All absentee ballots must be received by the closing

of the polls on election day. Under SB 3’s proposal, beginning the third Saturday prior to the election and up until the Tuesday prior to the election (9 total days, excluding Sundays), voters would be allowed to vote advance ballots. The advance ballots would be similar to election day ballots and, unlike absen-tee voting, would require no reason for voting advance. Ballots would be cast using voting machines, similar to how voting takes place on election day, and election au-thorities would be able to digitally save and record voting information from the machines after each day to be added to the total vote tally. A logistics issue of potential concern is where to phys-

ically set up voting precincts for the extended advance voting period. Under SB 3, election authorities would be required to establish one advance voting center in each senatorial district or in each county located in such a district if it contains more than one county, and three centers in each juris-diction governed by a board of election commissioners. Some counties with limited facilities may face challenges securing space to adequately provide for advance voting.

Again, it is important to note that these provi-sions will only go into effect if the funds to carry out advance voting and photo ID requirements are appropriated and distributed by the General Assembly. If, for a particular election year, the General Assembly does not appropriate and distribute the funds necessary to carry out these provisions, Missourians would need to be properly informed of the change to elec-tions procedures. At this stage in the legislative session, the Missouri elections process is poised for reform. “You’re going to get advance voting in Missouri because your constituents want it,” Sen. Stouffer told MAC’s membership at its 2011 legislative conference. “It’s whether you want [the Legislature] to pass it or whether you want it to pass by initiative petition.” Even if these provisions pass, voters will ultimately have the choice to amend the Constitution to allow advance voting and photo identification require-ments to become the law. “We appreciate Sen. Stouffer as well as Reps. John Diehl, Tony Dugger, Sue Entlicher, Pat Conway, Mike Lair and others for working with election authorities in the closing days of session to develop more consise, feasable provisions. Making sure we have the funding and resourc-es to smoothly carry out advance voting requirements is of primary concern to county clerks and election authorities,” Kempf stated. “We owe it to voters to conduct elections in the most efficient and cost-effective means possible.”

Legislators Push Advance Voting, Photo ID

County Fiscal Notes For Advance Voting

Sho-Me Technologies In September of 2010, Sho-Me Technologies LLC, a subsidiary of Sho-Me Power in Marshfield, MO, was proud to receive a $26.6 million stimulus grant as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA’s) Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program (BTOP). The Sho-Me Technologies stimulus project (Sho-Me MO) was one of two middle mile projects (along with BlueBird Network) to receive such an honor. The grant’s main goal is to dramatically increase the pres-ence of middle mile broadband services throughout ru-ral, underserved and unserved areas of the state, where 93 percent of the proposed service territory is economi-cally distressed. Missouri is made up of numerous small, isolated, rural communities that could benefit greatly from improved broadband services and lower costs for these services. As broadband needs have increased rapidly in the past few years, being behind in the latest technol-ogy has put these communities at a major disadvantage. With the grant received and project proposed by Sho-Me Technologies, many communities are about to see a change for the better. Sho-Me Technologies’ proposed fiber optic net-work covers 30 counties and nearly 1,400 miles of fiber network, expanding broadband availability geographi-cally to an additional 26 to 29 percent of the state. The network is intended to be purely “open access,” with the network and related facilities potentially shared among over 66,000 unrestricted business users and 260,000 households. The proposed service area would also positively impact over 6,000 health care and social assistance businesses, as well as 140 school districts and 69 libraries. The Sho-Me MO network will be constructed in a way to pass through at least 100 Community Anchor In-stitutions, or CAIs. These CAIs will be directly “on-net” and connected to the high-speed backbone, giving them access to broadband services across the state. Examples of CAIs include schools, colleges, hospitals, healthcare providers, libraries, public safety agencies, and govern-ment facilities. One example of a CAI that would directly benefit from broadband fiber is the Webster County Court-house. Currently, they have several different Internet connections in order to serve the various departments within the courthouse. By building a fiber optic net-work that will pass through the courthouse, the Sho-Me MO project can potentially consolidate and streamline the management and costs for faster and more reliable broadband service. As more and more information is available over the Internet, a fast and reliable connection becomes more important. An example of this is the assessor’s office providing access to online GIS mapping. In Polk Coun-

ty, the possibility has been discussed that the Sho-Me MO network could potentially be used to allow multiple counties share the same WebGIS server system. This type of “share-to-gain” system could reduce the total cost of each county by reducing the overall hardware, soft-ware and communications costs. Sho-Me Technologies has provided middle mile com-munications services to Missouri’s K-12 schools, colleges, public libraries, health care, and affiliate organizations since 1997, and has a proven track record of success. In addition to putting communities on the cutting edge of technology, it is estimated that approximately 288 job-years will be impacted by the grant project in the near term (e.g., fiber installation technicians, construction workers, etc.), with this project expected to be completed by September 2013. This information was provided by Sho-Me Tech-nologies. Visit them at www.shometech.com for more information.

Spotlight On MOBroadbandNow Projects:

Middle Mile Projects Help Connect Missouri’s Counties

BlueBird Network Bluebird Network, formerly Bluebird Media, is administering a $45 million ARRA grant from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The purpose of the grant is to construct a middle mile network that will make broadband affordable and accessible to 59 rural and underserved counties in northern and central Mis-souri. The grant represents a $65 million public-private partnership that includes the state of Missouri, the U.S. Commerce Department, and private investors. In March, 2011, Bluebird Media and Missouri Network Alliance (MNA), merged to create Bluebird Network, headquartered in Columbia, MO, with offices in Kansas City and St. Louis. This new company will utilize 3,000 miles of existing fiber combined with over 1,000 miles of new fiber to create a robust high-speed telecommunications network. Bluebird Network will have the strength to support and enhance the rapid build-out of new fiber routes by fall of 2012, while build-ing upon existing broadband services. Connecting high-speed broadband to CAIs in the 59 county coverage area is a top priority for Bluebird Net-work, and working with county governments throughout the grant coverage area is essential to the success of Missouri’s broadband initiative. Bluebird’s broadband services (10Mg-100Gb Ethernet) will supply CAIs with sufficient bandwidth capacity to plan for long-term telecommunication opportunities. It may be possible to directly link to the network and realize significant cost savings. Please visit Bluebird Network online at www.bluebirdnetwork.com and click on the CAI tab at the top of the page for more information. Please see the following page for a map of the current middle mile and last mile MOBroadbandNow projects.


Sho-MeTechnologies

BlueBird Network MOBroadbandNow Middle And Last Mile Projects


Last Mile Projects Last mile providers are connected via the middle mile “backbone” and distribute services to their respective communities.

• United Electric Corp.• Grand River Mutual Telephone• Northeast MO Rural Telephone• Ralls County Electric Cooperative• Cass County• Socket Telecom• Orchard Farm Telephone• Finally Broadband• Big River• Windstream Corp.


Having your coffee made-to-order is one of life’s little luxuries. Shouldn’t your employees have that same luxury with their deferred compensation account?

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A Lifesaver For 29 Missouri Forest Counties

Re-Authorization Needed For Secure Rural Schools Program

The Secure Rural Schools & Community Self-Determination Act (SRSCA) is a contract based upon an historic partnership between the federal govern-ment and forested counties nationwide. It is critical to preserving local education systems, maintaining roads, maintaining natural resources on federal lands, and creating rural jobs.

History Of The Federal Program In 1911, the Weeks Act authorized the purchase of lands in the eastern and southern U.S. to protect the headwaters of navigable streams. These lands were to be maintained as National Forests and the Act required that, “five percentum of all monies received during any fiscal year from each National Forest ... shall be paid to the States ... for the benefit of the public schools and public roads of the county or counties in which such National Forests are situated.” In 1913, agricultural appropriations bill language was added to the Weeks Act, wherein the 5 percent was changed to 25 percent of revenue generated by activity of these lands. The Clarke McNary Act of 1924 expanded the re-quirement that the lands be acquired to protect navi-gable waters. The 25 percent return was critical to the health of rural forested counties, schools and services. This is especially true as nationwide National Forests include 190 million acres and can cover as much as 87 percent of land mass in some counties. The 25 percent share worked well until the 1980s when harvesting was greatly reduced by environmental laws and public policy changes. This created a fiscal crisis for rural counties and schools. The “contract” was in jeopardy. In response, Congress passed the Secure RuralSchools and Community Self Determination Act in2000 to ensure the terms of the contract were met. In

many cases, it is the only thing standing between rural counties and schools and financial ruin.

SRSCA Funding To Missouri• In 2008, Missouri counties and school districts re-

ceived $5.1 million in funding from SRSCA.• From 2008 to 2011, rural Missouri is projected to

receive $17.51 million in SRSCA funding.• SRSCA funding to Missouri will decline by 78

percent from $5.1 million in 2008 to $1.1 million in 2012 – a loss of almost $4 million.

Take An Active Role Both MAC and NACo encourage those receiving these federal funds to take an active role in persuad-ing Congress to renew the contract between the federal government and rural communities through a long-term 10-year reauthorization of the SRSCA program. One way is by joining the Partnership for Rural America Campaign and its grassroots effort by becom-ing a member of a Regional Coalition Action Team. Visit www.partnershipforruralamerica.org where interactive maps of state and county level SRSCA payments may be found. Another way is by asking for support from mem-bers of the state’s congressional delegation where most of these public forest lands are found. Call Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-4) at 202-225-2876, Rep. Billy Long (R-7) at 202-225-6536, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-8) at 202-225-4404, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-9) at 202-225-2958, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) at 202-224-6154, and Sen. Roy Blunt (R) at 202-224-5721. Ask them to contact congressional House and Senate Budget Committee members, urging them to find a long-term solution that will ensure rural counties have the resources they need to provide basis services.


The U.S. House of Representatives defeated an amendment to the FY11 Continuing Resolution (H.R. 1) Feb. 16 offered by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), which would have cut funding to the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program by 75 percent.

Upon learning of the amendment, NACo quickly developed an overnight grassroots campaign against the Kaptur amendment, which culminated in a vote of 394 - 32 in opposition.

During the House debate, Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) said, “I just want to rise in very strong opposition [to the Kaptur amendment]. Being a westerner, I have counties in my district that receive these payments. I think it’s justified. I appreciate the fact that the new majority has tried to protect these payments.” Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) said of PILT: “This is not in any way, shape or form a giveaway to our counties. This is land we cannot tax, we cannot develop, we cannot benefit from. In fact, PILT payments are insufficient. They’re too low to compensate for the burden of having all this land that’s not part of our local tax base.”

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) said, “PILT is not welfare; this is rent on the land [the Federal government] controls. To be honest, we’d rather have the land back, but until that time, pay for what you control.”

In Missouri, Reps. Todd Akin (2nd), Russ Carnahan (3rd), Jo Ann Emerson (8th), Sam Graves (6th), Vicky Hartzler (4th), and Blaine Luetkemeyer (9th) all voted against the amendment. Only Reps. William Lacy Clay (1st), Emanuel Cleaver (5th), and Billy Long (7th)

U.S. House Votes To Protect PILT

PaymentsBy Ryan Yates, NACo Associate

Legislative Director

voted for it. Please thank members of Congress who voted “no” on the Kaptur amendment for their continued support for county government.

As the only national organization that advocates on behalf of the PILT program, NACo

will continue to work diligently to maintain full funding for this program critical to sustaining local county governments.

For additional information, please contact Ryan Yates, NACo associate legislative director, at [email protected].

mined courthouse workers, most citizens consider them as quaint flotsam from a bygone age. The challenge of finding relevancy in our local values and history always is difficult – especially for our youth – but more so in an age fixated with hip-hop, flashy trends, and digital games. To help address this problem, the art and artifacts in Missouri’s courthouses should be systematically documented with photography and the written word in order to preserve them and what they represent in perpetuity. This idea is not new. The Historic Ameri-can Buildings Survey (HABS) program was created to document historic buildings for the Works Progress Ad-ministration during the Great Depression of the 1930s. That program was extremely successful and continues today under the direction of the Library of Congress. A record of Missouri’s courthouses could be equally important and useful. Therefore, a permanent collection – assembled un-der the leadership of the Missouri Association of Coun-ties – deserves consideration by the MAC membership. Once in hand and securely stored, those files would be available for a wide variety of uses. High resolution digital photo files – including the buildings, as well as their artwork and memorials – could be accessed to create traveling displays for conventions, public school government class posters, and library and museum exhibits. Using available “publish on demand” services available from a number of vendors, books might be designed for individual or small-run purposes, such as gift items and high-impact legislative information. Local art and artifacts deteriorate and may even disappear in relatively short time spans. Commission-ing a professional collection of those pieces would be an excellent way for MAC to participate in preserving counties’ histories, highlighting local folk art and art-ists, educating future generations, and strongly affirm-ing the value of grass-roots governance in our dynamic and changing society.

Missouri’s county courthouses – the stomping grounds for the solemn circuit court judge, hard-nosed sheriff, and no-nonsense politician – have their artistic sides, too. In addition to their architectur-al features, our 114 courthouses and local jails contain many extraordinary folk art pieces, murals, plaques, monuments, and historic artifacts. These decorative pieces please the eye and warm our sometimes cool halls of justice, but they also deserve our attention because they uplift local community values and virtues. These works of art and dedicated memorials fulfill one of our basic human needs – the urge to decorate our community’s meeting place and, in so do-ing, leave important and lasting messages for future generations. These works of art are represented in a variety of mediums: paintings and sketch-es, stone carvings and wrought iron fixtures, calligraphic documents and hand-made furniture, bronze statues and murals. Some of these items were installed during construction but, sadly, their significance and the names of the journeyman masons, carpenters and itinerant artists employed in those projects may have not been recorded. Some have been added to the courthouse square in later years to commemorate important events and famous personali-ties but, even more sadly, those names and activities are now only vague memories – in effect rendering those pieces to the rank of mere curiosities. There is no blame here. Courthouses, after all, are places of busi-ness, not museums or historical sites. Accordingly, courthouse “objets d’ art” receive scant recognition. Preserved and appreciated mainly through the efforts of county historical societies and a few deter-

Newton County’s Courthouse murals record a timeline that illustrates the days when Native Americans roamed the land, the development of the county’s local business and industries, and other important events. Courthouses in Clay, Newton and many other counties contain similar historically themed murals. The main courtroom in Pettis County is a veritable art gallery of famous person-alities and historic actions.

Statues that honor Missouri’s Civil War veterans almost always feature a single sol-dier – Confederate or Union, depending upon the sentiments of the group that erected the memorial. Henry County took a different tact. Their memorial shows men from both sides of the conflict. County government is intensely patriotic and it is a rare courthouse that does not have numerous war memorials.

Courthouse ArtA n d A r t i f a c t s

By Dennis Weiser


Another Missouri Courthouse Book May Be “In The Works”! We’re making a list! Support this effort and tell us about your local courthouse artwork – paintings, sculptures, statues, murals, mosaics with inlaid bits of colored stone or glass. Dennis Weiser, author of Missouri Courthouses: Building Memories on the Square, would like to write another book about the treasured pieces of artwork that can be found in some of our 114 courthouses. (See the accompanying photographs for examples.) But first of all, he needs to know what’s out there! If your courthouse has one or more signifi-cant pieces of artwork or an artifact that should be included in a permanent collection, please send your recommendation to Dennis Weiser at [email protected] (or send it to the MAC office at [email protected]). This could be a very worthwhile project!

A photograph of President William McKinley in full Masonic regalia hangs in the Cass County courtroom. Masonic lodges often held their meetings in the local courthouse. A portrait of Charles Parker hangs with the other Circuit Court judges in Nodaway County. Parker, the “True Grit” judge who sent his federal mar-shals after outlaws hiding in the Oklahoma Territory, sentenced over 100 criminals to the gallows.

Building a railroad line in the 19th century was a costly venture, but it was vital to a commu-nity’s prosperity. In 1872, Cass County citizens were victimized by a rail-road bond swindle. Iron-ically, two guilty officials tried to flee by train, but they were killed by a mob that halted the train. It took the county 50 years to pay off the bond debt.

Decorations, such as the stained-glass skylight in the old Cape Girardeau County Courthouse, elevate the building’s architectur-al design. Such skylights were doubly functional because they not only provided light to a build-ing’s interior, but they also could be opened and closed for better ventilation.

It took a strong wrist to punch sequential num-bers using this pre-electric numbering machine at St. Francois County’s court-house. Historic pieces of furniture, office equipment, and fixtures continue to provide unique touches of character to courthouses and courtrooms.

Edwin Hubble lived in Webster County for nearly 10 years during his boyhood. The large 1:10 scale model of the Hubble Telescope at the courthouse indicates the size of the cosmic space instrument that was named in his honor. Many notable individuals who later in life achieved scientific, government, military or enter-tainment success are honored with memorials in Missouri’s courthouses.

A war memorial near the Audrain County Courthouse commemorates “Exercise Tiger,” a large-scale rehearsal for the WWII invasion of Europe. Over 800 soldiers and sailors died and the military feared an adverse public reaction back home would overturn plans for the June 1944 landings in France.

(Right) A statue of David Rice Atchi-son (1807 – 1886) stands in front of the Clinton County Courthouse. Atchi-son, through a technicality, was the president for one day. Atchison also was a pro-slavery advocate. He led Bushwhackers against Jayhawkers during the “Bleeding Kansas” years that led to the Civil War. Similar statues of sig-nificant, but barely remembered, Missou-rians can be found in front of courthouses across Missouri.



Reviewing Missouri’s Updated County Data

County County Seat Population 2010 Assessed Values Sq. MilesClassMISSOURI ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES

Feb. 2011

ADAIR 3 KIRKSVILLE 25,607 245,889,288 567ANDREW 3 SAVANNAH 17,291 196,320,808 436ATCHISON 3 ROCK PORT 5,685 106,221,649 560AUDRAIN 3 MEXICO 25,529 324,238,164 692BARRY 3 CASSVILLE 35,597 440,358,587 773BARTON T(15) 3 LAMAR 12,402 173,780,525 597BATES T(24) 3 BUTLER 17,049 182,661,215 849BENTON 3 WARSAW 19,056 222,908,547 729BOLLINGER 3 MARBLE HILL 12,363 108,934,965 621BOONE 1 COLUMBIA 162,642 2,307,115,574 687BUCHANAN 1 ST. JOSEPH 89,201 1,168,752,786 409BUTLER 3 POPLAR BLUFF 42,794 491,731,804 698CALDWELL T(12) 3 KINGSTON 9,424 113,903,793 431CALLAWAY 1 FULTON 44,332 708,457,773 842CAMDEN 1 CAMDENTON 44,002 1,525,785,067 641CAPE GIRARDEAU 1 JACKSON 75,674 1,081,267,247 577CARROLL T(21) 3 CARROLLTON 9,295 154,605,464 695CARTER 3 VAN BUREN 6,265 49,619,281 509CASS 1 HARRISONVILLE 99,478 1,323,860,216 702CEDAR 3 STOCKTON 13,982 151,785,500 471CHARITON T(16) 3 KEYTESVILLE 7,831 137,218,178 758CHRISTIAN 2 OZARK 77,422 960,670,079 564CLARK 3 KAHOKA 7,139 90,874,538 507CLAY 1 LIBERTY 221,939 3,767,486,277 403CLINTON 3 PLATTSBURG 20,743 260,938,589 423COLE 1 JEFFERSON CITY 75,990 1,297,064,854 392COOPER 3 BOONVILLE 17,601 214,111,586 566CRAWFORD 3 STEELVILLE 24,696 266,597,434 744DADE T(16) 3 GREENFIELD 7,883 95,660,398 491DALLAS 3 BUFFALO 16,777 148,612,334 543DAVIESS T(15) 3 GALLATIN 8,433 104,274,206 568DeKALB T(9) 3 MAYSVILLE 12,892 114,080,172 425DENT 3 SALEM 15,657 149,825,605 755DOUGLAS 3 AVA 13,684 129,225,125 814DUNKLIN T(8) 3 KENNETT 31,953 292,749,177 547FRANKLIN 1 UNION 101,492 1,816,733,545 922GASCONADE 3 HERMANN 15,222 211,685,459 521GENTRY T(8) 3 ALBANY 6,738 79,955,302 493GREENE 1 SPRINGFIELD 275,174 4,219,217,915 678GRUNDY T(13) 3 TRENTON 10,261 105,747,781 437HARRISON T(20) 3 BETHANY 8,957 97,518,746 725HENRY T(19) 3 CLINTON 22,272 278,606,201 729HICKORY 3 HERMITAGE 9,627 105,643,662 411HOLT 3 OREGON 4,912 92,188,740 456HOWARD 3 FAYETTE 10,144 104,915,428 464HOWELL 3 WEST PLAINS 40,400 386,208,248 927IRON 3 IRONTON 10,630 171,672,996 552

MISSOURI ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES

Feb. 2011

JACKSON 1 INDEPENDENCE 674,158 9,843,749,522 611JASPER 1 CARTHAGE 117,404 1,552,713,612 641JEFFERSON 1 HILLSBORO 218,733 2,902,298,637 668JOHNSON 4 WARRENSBURG 52,595 515,917,730 834KNOX 3 EDINA 4,131 66,183,553 507LACLEDE 3 LEBANON 35,571 379,088,315 770LAFAYETTE 4 LEXINGTON 33,381 386,543,964 632LAWRENCE 3 MT. VERNON 38,634 398,837,808 614LEWIS 3 MONTICELLO 10,211 102,192,222 508LINCOLN 2 TROY 52,566 634,642,599 627LINN T(14) 3 LINNEUS 12,761 134,470,718 620LIVINGSTON T(13) 3 CHILLICOTHE 15,195 158,225,533 537MACON 3 MACON 15,566 179,083,699 797MADISON 3 FREDERICKTOWN 12,226 111,202,185 497MARIES 3 VIENNA 9,176 108,321,188 528MARION 3 PALMYRA 28,781 342,992,615 438McDONALD 3 PINEVILLE 23,083 270,647,103 541MERCER T(9) 3 PRINCETON 3,785 57,168,975 454MILLER 3 TUSCUMBIA 24,748 396,672,396 593MISSISSIPPI 3 CHARLESTON 14,358 135,836,899 410MONITEAU 3 CALIFORNIA 15,607 169,802,098 417MONROE 3 PARIS 8,840 112,429,469 670MONTGOMERY 3 MONTGOMERY CITY 12,236 190,055,175 540MORGAN 3 VERSAILLES 20,565 468,061,443 594NEW MADRID 3 NEW MADRID 18,956 391,312,998 679NEWTON 2 NEOSHO 58,114 687,980,331 627NODAWAY T(15) 3 MARYVILLE 23,370 284,814,002 875OREGON 3 ALTON 10,881 82,086,722 792OSAGE 3 LINN 13,878 181,014,936 606OZARK 3 GAINESVILLE 9,723 100,700,763 731PEMISCOT 3 CARUTHERSVILLE 18,296 173,821,656 517PERRY 3 PERRYVILLE 18,971 290,555,025 473PETTIS 4 SEDALIA 42,201 518,166,692 686PHELPS 3 ROLLA 45,156 530,311,732 674PIKE 3 BOWLING GREEN 18,516 251,379,338 673PLATTE 1 PLATTE CITY 89,322 2,293,757,420 421POLK 3 BOLIVAR 31,137 276,354,306 642PULASKI 3 WAYNESVILLE 52,274 396,787,683 551PUTNAM T(11) 3 UNIONVILLE 4,979 71,296,020 520RALLS 3 NEW LONDON 10,167 170,188,279 481RANDOLPH 3 HUNTSVILLE 25,414 411,125,415 473RAY 3 RICHMOND 23,494 270,806,102 568REYNOLDS 3 CENTERVILLE 6,696 182,544,587 808RIPLEY 3 DONIPHAN 14,100 85,423,012 632SALINE 4 MARSHALL 23,370 265,573,425 755SCHUYLER 3 LANCASTER 4,431 38,911,090 308SCOTLAND 3 MEMPHIS 4,843 57,038,682 439SCOTT 3 BENTON 39,191 396,037,578 423SHANNON 3 EMINENCE 8,441 66,096,617 1,004SHELBY 3 SHELBYVILLE 6,373 92,493,872 501ST. CHARLES 1 ST. CHARLES 360,485 7,440,240,063 558ST. CLAIR 3 OSCEOLA 9,805 98,532,631 698ST. FRANCOIS 2 FARMINGTON 65,359 646,807,490 451



Feb. 2011

JACKSON 1 INDEPENDENCE 674,158 9,843,749,522 611JASPER 1 CARTHAGE 117,404 1,552,713,612 641JEFFERSON 1 HILLSBORO 218,733 2,902,298,637 668JOHNSON 4 WARRENSBURG 52,595 515,917,730 834KNOX 3 EDINA 4,131 66,183,553 507LACLEDE 3 LEBANON 35,571 379,088,315 770LAFAYETTE 4 LEXINGTON 33,381 386,543,964 632LAWRENCE 3 MT. VERNON 38,634 398,837,808 614LEWIS 3 MONTICELLO 10,211 102,192,222 508LINCOLN 2 TROY 52,566 634,642,599 627LINN T(14) 3 LINNEUS 12,761 134,470,718 620LIVINGSTON T(13) 3 CHILLICOTHE 15,195 158,225,533 537MACON 3 MACON 15,566 179,083,699 797MADISON 3 FREDERICKTOWN 12,226 111,202,185 497MARIES 3 VIENNA 9,176 108,321,188 528MARION 3 PALMYRA 28,781 342,992,615 438McDONALD 3 PINEVILLE 23,083 270,647,103 541MERCER T(9) 3 PRINCETON 3,785 57,168,975 454MILLER 3 TUSCUMBIA 24,748 396,672,396 593MISSISSIPPI 3 CHARLESTON 14,358 135,836,899 410MONITEAU 3 CALIFORNIA 15,607 169,802,098 417MONROE 3 PARIS 8,840 112,429,469 670MONTGOMERY 3 MONTGOMERY CITY 12,236 190,055,175 540MORGAN 3 VERSAILLES 20,565 468,061,443 594NEW MADRID 3 NEW MADRID 18,956 391,312,998 679NEWTON 2 NEOSHO 58,114 687,980,331 627NODAWAY T(15) 3 MARYVILLE 23,370 284,814,002 875OREGON 3 ALTON 10,881 82,086,722 792OSAGE 3 LINN 13,878 181,014,936 606OZARK 3 GAINESVILLE 9,723 100,700,763 731PEMISCOT 3 CARUTHERSVILLE 18,296 173,821,656 517PERRY 3 PERRYVILLE 18,971 290,555,025 473PETTIS 4 SEDALIA 42,201 518,166,692 686PHELPS 3 ROLLA 45,156 530,311,732 674PIKE 3 BOWLING GREEN 18,516 251,379,338 673PLATTE 1 PLATTE CITY 89,322 2,293,757,420 421POLK 3 BOLIVAR 31,137 276,354,306 642PULASKI 3 WAYNESVILLE 52,274 396,787,683 551PUTNAM T(11) 3 UNIONVILLE 4,979 71,296,020 520RALLS 3 NEW LONDON 10,167 170,188,279 481RANDOLPH 3 HUNTSVILLE 25,414 411,125,415 473RAY 3 RICHMOND 23,494 270,806,102 568REYNOLDS 3 CENTERVILLE 6,696 182,544,587 808RIPLEY 3 DONIPHAN 14,100 85,423,012 632SALINE 4 MARSHALL 23,370 265,573,425 755SCHUYLER 3 LANCASTER 4,431 38,911,090 308SCOTLAND 3 MEMPHIS 4,843 57,038,682 439SCOTT 3 BENTON 39,191 396,037,578 423SHANNON 3 EMINENCE 8,441 66,096,617 1,004SHELBY 3 SHELBYVILLE 6,373 92,493,872 501ST. CHARLES 1 ST. CHARLES 360,485 7,440,240,063 558ST. CLAIR 3 OSCEOLA 9,805 98,532,631 698ST. FRANCOIS 2 FARMINGTON 65,359 646,807,490 451


Feb. 2011

5

ST. LOUIS 1 CLAYTON 998,954 23,646,944,630 505STE. GENEVIEVE 3 STE. GENEVIEVE 18,145 398,112,257 504STODDARD T(7) 3 BLOOMFIELD 29,968 383,077,371 815STONE 3 GALENA 32,202 511,947,882 451SULLIVAN T(12) 3 MILAN 6,714 80,552,032 651TANEY 1 FORSYTH 51,675 1,041,643,207 608TEXAS T(17) 3 HOUSTON 26,008 187,879,412 1,180VERNON T(20) 3 NEVADA 21,159 220,128,083 837WARREN 3 WARRENTON 32,513 521,407,157 429WASHINGTON 3 POTOSI 25,195 216,790,374 762WAYNE 3 GREENVILLE 13,521 121,244,087 763WEBSTER 3 MARSHFIELD 36,202 328,186,422 594WORTH 3 GRANT CITY 2,171 24,360,140 266WRIGHT 3 HARTVILLE 18,815 155,995,708 682ST. LOUIS CITY 319,294 4,563,217,873 61TOTALS 4,144,790 68,770,782,56 40,722

636-463-2501

National County Government Month AwardWin two free registrations to any NACo conference!

April is National County Government Month (NCGM). A new feature this year is the NCGM Award. Its purpose is to encourage counties to participate in National County Government Month and to recognize those counties that sponsor outstanding programs to educate citi zens about county government during the month of April 2011. The entries will also be posted online and will serve as a database of ideas for other counties to use.

Eligibility: To be eligible for the competition, the program must have been conducted by a current NACo member during the month of April.

Criteria: Programs will be judged on the following factors: citizen participa tion, involvement of elected officials, utilization of existing resources, amount of positive media coverage generated by the event(s), and how the program was promoted by the county (press releases, social media, utility mailers, etc.).

Nominations: Applications must be received by May 31, 2011, to be eligible for the competition. The winning counties will be recognized during the NACo Annual Conference at a general session. Three counties will be recognized – rural counties (population less than 100,000), suburban (population between 100,000 and 500,000), and metropolitan (population above 500,000).

Judging: A team of public relations pro fessionals from the National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) will judge the applications and will select one winner in each category.

Prize: Each winning county will win two free registrations that could be used at any NACo conference. This prize is worth more than $1,000.

Application: The application form is posted at http://www.uscounties.org/cffiles_web/ncgm/ncgm_award.cfm.



The Missouri Transportation Alliance (MoTA) is a group (includ-ing MAC) of small business owners, first responders, cities, counties, lo-cal chambers of commerce and con-cerned citizens who share a common goal – to find a way to meet Mis-souri’s urgent transportation needs. The number of cars and trucks on Missouri roads has doubled in the past 30 years. We must act now or face detours, delays and decay-ing roads and bridges. “Missouri can’t keep families safe and expand the economy over the next decade without smart investment in our transportation infrastructure,” said Bill McKenna, MoTA spokesperson and former Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission chair-man. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has reli-ably delivered projects on time and on budget with the limited resources at its disposal. While this has been a benefit to Missourians, the time has come to address the needs that have been compounding over the past 20 years. Truck and vehicle traffic has doubled, yet resources have stayed the same. Additional funding is necessary for road and bridge maintenance to prevent accidents and save lives.McKenna outlined the steps neces-sary to create safer roads and bridg-es, “…wider shoulders, more guard rails, expanded use of rumble strips, better signing and striping, and most importantly finding a way to deal with Missouri’s growing num-ber of obsolete or deficient bridges that are nearing failure. In order to save lives, protect our families and meet our responsibilities to the public, we need to see that MoDOT has adequate funding.” McKenna noted that past im-provements have led to significant reductions in fatalities, but MoDOT has stressed that continued safety improvements are largely dependent on making smart investments in safety measures and transportation improvements. In addition to improving the safety of our roads and bridges, transportation infrastructure invest-

ment will provide three important economic benefits to Missouri’s ail-ing economy:1. It will provide immediate eco-

nomic activity in every region of the state as jobs are created to complete critical transportation projects and repair roads and bridges in disrepair.

2. It will provide the long-term in-frastructure necessary for small businesses and communities to grow and create good-paying jobs and great places to live.

3. It will make Missouri much more competitive in the global competition to attract new busi-nesses looking for new locations to expand.

Missouri small businesses are dependent upon a good transporta-tion system to provide the crucialinfrastructure to meet the demands of their customers, to survive and grow in a globally competitive mar-ketplace. The current funding short-fall for MoDOT has stalled plans in nearly every community and region of the state that are vital to the eco-nomic future and well being of small businesses and residents.

The Missouri Transportation Alliance WorksTo Address Missouri’s Dire Transportation Needs

“If Missouri wants to rebound from the recession, we need to double-down -- invest in our infra-structure -- that’s the path to greater prosperity, job growth and economic vitality,” said McKenna. MoTA will be working with first responders, small businesses, trans-portation and community leaders,businesses and citizens to develop a funding solution over the next sev-eral months. To learn more aboutbecoming an active supporter of the Alliance or to provide your input on how Missouri’s transportation system can meet the safety and eco-nomic needs of Missouri, visit www.missouritransportation.org.

How to get involved:• Connect with MoTA via: * facebook @ Missouri Transpor- tation Alliance * twitter @ motalliance * flickr @ motalliance• Add a link from MoTA’s website

to your website or blog at www.missouritransportation.org.

• Become a stakeholder and en-courage your business or orga-nization to pass a resolution in support of MoTA.


MAC’s Model Personnel Policies Handbook, authored by Legal Counsel Ivan Schraeder, has recently been updated to include a section on Internet usage of Social Media.

The complete handbook may be found online at www.mocounties.com. In the left-hand sidebar of the homepage, choose the “Workers’ Comp Trust” option. This brings up a map of Missouri counties currently enrolled in the Trust. Scroll down under the map and choose the link to “Personnel Policies Handbook.” The Internet usage of Social Media section is found in Art. 23. Mr. Schraeder has devoted considerable time in devising his entire Internet/Electronic Mail Policy. It serves, however, only as a model for county commissioners to use in developing a Personnel

Personnel Policy Handbook Now Includes “Social Media” Section

Policies Handbook. In his opinion, a county should view the legitimate use of the Internet/e-mail system as potentially enhancing a large number of its functions and services being provided to the public. The

goal of the policy is to ensure the responsible and acceptable use of these resources. Such policy should apply to all employees, contractors, volunteers and other individuals who are provided access to these systems. (continued on next page)


The county should reserve the right to review any and all data, information or computer files stored in or sent to or from computers owned or supplied by the county. This includes any type of e-mail, Internet access usage, or other subscription services.

All data and other electronic messages within this system are the property of the county. This includes all of the material and information created, transmitted or stored on the equipment. There should be no expectation of privacy for any of the material or information. All users must realize that material or information that has been deleted can be retrieved and viewed by others. This also includes e-mail that has been deleted.

Department directors and elected officials may provide access to the Internet and/or e-mail systems for some employees. This capability should be provided on an as-needed basis and is a revocable privilege. Only the county-approved Internet provider should be used to access the Internet. Any additional hardware or software required for Internet access should be authorized by the information services administrator.

Sections in Art. 23 of Schraeder’s Model Personnel Policies Handbook include the following:

• General Guidelines For Internet/E-mail Usage,

• An Internet/E-mail Policy Memorandum of Understanding,

• Professional Use of E-Mail, Voicemail and Word Processing Systems,

• Personal Use of E-mail and Voicemail,

• Personal Use of the County Computers Generally,

• Password [and Encryption Key] Security and Messages,

• Software Policy, and most recently

• Social Media.

More than 70 public safety per-sonnel from across the state met with Missouri legislators on Jan. 25 for 9-1-1 Day at the Capitol. This event was a collaborative effort by the Mis-souri National Emergency Number Association (MONENA), the Missouri Association of Public Safety Com-munications Officials (MOAPCO) and the Missouri 9-1-1 Directors’ Associa-tion to unite 9-1-1 professionals from across the state to speak with one voice in Jefferson City. Public safety personnel from the MARC region spoke with legislators about impor-tant issues related to 9-1-1. Missouri’s emergency call cen-ters, also known as Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), are working to keep up with public needs as more and more of the population turns to wireless devices to communi-cate. In 2010, Missouri PSAPs in the MARC region received twice as many 9-1-1 calls from wireless devices as landline phones. Even though such a high percentage of 9-1-1 calls come from wireless devices, currently only landline telephone customers in Missouri pay for 9-1-1 services. 9-1-1 funding continues to decline as the public cancels their wireline tele-phone service. Since the state of Missouri does not have a 9-1-1 user fee on wire-less devices, finding revenue sources to pay for equipment upgrades is a serious challenge. In fact, 18 Mis-souri counties outside the MARC region do not have enhanced 9-1-1 service (E911). E911 means that a 9-1-1 caller’s location information and phone number are automatically de-livered to the PSAP, details that can save time in an emergency situation when every second counts. The goal of the Missouri 9-1-1 Directors’ Association is to provide the same level of E911 service to all residents and visitors of Missouri.

9-1-1 Day At The Capitol

Learn more about the trouble facing Missouri 9-1-1 centers at Save911.org. This information was provided by the Mid-America Regional Council. Visit them at www.marc.org. Photos by Jay Shipman, MAC staff.

Callaway County Associate Com-missioner Doc Kritzer (left) and Shelby County Presiding Commissioner Glenn Eagan particiate in the rally.

Lisa Schlottach, Gasconade County 9-1-1 director and president of the Missouri 9-1-1 Directors’ Associa-tion, listens as Mike Kindle, Macon County 9-1-1 director, addresses the crowd on the south side Capitol steps.

“We need to educate our legislators that this is a dire straits, public safety issue.... The 9-1-1 folks, the public safety folks, need to be telling their legislators what needs to be done.”

-- Mike Kindle, Macon County 9-1-1 director

Social Media (Continued)


ber of train/motor vehicle collisions had been reduced by approximately 84 percent to 1,900 collisions. Do not become a railroad statistic; use caution when approaching and crossing railroad tracks.

Safety Facts – Grade Crossings:• UP has more crossings than any other U.S. railroad. • UP has reduced grade crossing accident rates by 37

percent since 2001. • UP has reduced grade crossing accident rates by 11

percent in 2009 vs. 2008. • In 2009, UP held 523 CARE (Crossing Accident

Reduction Enforcement) events across the country, where law enforcement officers and media are in-vited to ride trains to get a first-hand look at unsafe activity around crossings.

• 98 percent of our lead locomotives have train image recorders (TIRs).

• UP has more than 32,000 crossings on our system, including 10,000 equipped with gates.

• From 1980 through 2008, the number of grade cross-ing collisions fell 78 percent.

• Operation Lifesaver – a non-profit organization dedicated to public education about safety at rail-road crossings and around railroad property – gave 32,000 presentations to 1.1 million people in 2009.

• A 100-car train going 55 mph takes a mile to stop. • According to the FRA, in the U.S., there are 224,798

at-grade crossings, of which 137,659 (61 percent) are on public roads.

• States evaluate public crossings and decide what type of warning devices to install.

• A federal program called “Section 130” distributes $220 million each year toward crossing improve-ments.

• The rail industry spends more than $250 million each year keeping crossings in good repair and mil-lions more on education programs.

About Union Pacific: Union Pacific Corporation owns one of America’s leading transportation companies. Its principal operat-ing company, Union Pacific Railroad, links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers and provides Americans with a fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly, and safe mode of freight trans-portation. The railroad emphasizes excellent customer service and offers competitive routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways. Find out more at www.up.com.

Each year hundreds of drivers are injured or killed when they do not heed the warning devices at railroad grade crossings. Because Union Pacific Railroad oper-ates through hundreds of communities on nearly 1,500 miles of track in Missouri, train crews see many public works employees operating vehicles over crossings or near railroad tracks. Union Pacific urges Missouri pub-lic works employees to safely cross the tracks while they are working in their communities. “As Missouri public works employees go about their jobs in their communities, we want to remind them to approach railroad crossings with caution and take the extra time to be sure a train is not near because you never know when a train will come along,” said Ben Jones, Union Pacific Railroad director of public affairs for Missouri and Kansas. “It can take a mile or more to stop a train and by the time a locomotive engineer sees you on the track, it would be too late,” said John Simpson, manager of public safety. “Locomotives and rail cars overhang the tracks by at least three feet on either side of the rail and loose straps hanging from rail cars may extend even further. If your truck or other machinery is too close to the tracks, you can be hit by the locomotive, a rail car or anything that may be hanging loose from the car,” added Simpson. Last year, 12 people died and 22 were injured as a result of train/vehicle collisions in Missouri. In an effort to educate the public about grade crossing and pedes-trian safety, UP established the Union Pacific Crossing Accident Reduction Education and Safety (UP CARES) program. Union Pacific is committed to public safety through various outreach channels such as community events, the media, Union Pacific Railroad police, em-ployee resource groups, and Operation Lifesaver. The UP CARES public safety initiative brings together com-munities in a collaborative and caring effort to promote railroad grade crossing and pedestrian safety.

UP CARES activities include the following:• Grade crossing enforcement with local, county and

state law enforcement agencies, • Safety trains that provide local officials a first-hand

look at what locomotive engineers see daily while they operate trains through a community, and

• Communication blitzes that educate the community at events or media outreach.

• Union Pacific also works closely with the national grade crossing safety program, Operation Lifesaver.

In 1972, when Operation Lifesaver began, there were approximately 12,000 collisions between trains and motor vehicles annually. By 2009, the most recent year for which preliminary statistics are available, the num-

Union Pacific Railroad Reminds Public Works EmployeesTo Heed Warnings At Grade Crossings

By Mark Davis, Union Pacific Media Contact


Getting people back to work and revitalizing local economies are critical issues right now facing elected officials in every part of the state. That is why the Division of Workforce Development (DWD) is proud to sponsor an invaluable opportunity to learn about employ-ment services available to your con-stituents and local businesses. The session Understanding Your Role with the Local Workforce Investment Board is being presented at the Missouri Association for Workforce Development’s Conference on June 1-3, 2011, at Lake of the Ozarks Tan-Tar-A-Resort. This year, the event has a special conference track for both local elected officials and workforce investment board members from the 14 local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) in the state of Mis-souri, recipients of federal funding through the DWD. As a presiding commissioner, learn how you and the WIB are responsible for devel-oping policy and overseeing local workforce development initiatives. Come learn how to appoint mem-bers to your workforce investment region, what your oversight respon-sibilities are with these federal employment and training dollars, and as a presiding commissioner, determine how the dollars are best spent in your communities. This event will also include panel dis-cussions on best practices for local regions, and a financial workshop geared for the elected officials and board members. Attend this training and make sure you have the tools and in-formation to make the best deci-sions for your regions’ citizens and economy. Visit www.mo-awd.org or contact your local WIB Director to sign up for the conference. Do it today, while space is available!

(See the ad on the next page)

Two MajorConcerns For

County Officials: Jobs & The Economy

On April 1, the National Association of Counties (NACo) announced the selection of Debbi McGinnis, MAC President and Polk County Collector, as one of 22 county leaders from across the United States to participate in the eighth annual County Leadership Institute (CLI), a rigorous four-day program offered in partnership with Cambridge Leadership Associates. Nominated by MAC Executive Director Dick Burke as an official with a commitment to developing collabora-tive and innovative solutions to local issues, Debbi will meet at IBM’s Institute for Electronic Govern-ment in Washington, DC, from June 5-9, 2011. The Institute, now in its eighth year, has gradu-ated 165 members from 40 states and 138 counties across the country. Known for enhancing the capacity of county officials to identify and implement innova-tive solutions to the complex challenges facing county government in the 21st century, this year’s program will focus closely on the demands of personal leader-ship in a new era of government, one characterized as a “permanent crisis” by CLI Program Developer and Cambridge Leadership co-founder Marty Linsky. “The county officials who participate in the In-stitute get information, ideas, and perspectives they

MAC President Debbi McGinnis SelectedTo Join County Leaders From Across U.S

For Intensive Leadership Programcan’t get anywhere else,” said Larry Naake, execu-tive director of NACo. “These county leaders not only discuss the core principles of public service leadership with prominent experts, they also collaborate inten-sively with each other to develop new ways to attack real-life issues of importance to the citizens of their counties.” In addition to developing skills and cultivating new perspectives of leadership, the Institute builds a network of CLI alumni who continue to offer support, suggestions and feedback across years and county lines. Classes meet daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in four evening meetings. Program costs are offset by corporate and non-profit sponsoring organizations. Sponsors for 2011 include IBM, ESRI, NACo’s Finan-cial Services Corporation (FSC), and the National Council of County Association Executives.


Reminder: Mark Your Calendars!MAC’s Annual Conference & Trade Show

will be held October 27-29, 2011.We look forward to seeing you there!

Evers & Company CPAsAllgeier, Martin & Associates Inc. American Council of EngineeringCompanies of MO (ACEC)Archetype Design Group Inc. Benton & AssociatesBerger Devine Yaeger Inc.Cook, Flatt & Strobel Engineers P.A. Great River AssociatesGreat River EngineeringHorner & Shifrin Inc. MECO Engineering Co. Inc.Poepping, Stone, Bach & AssociatesShafer, Kline & Warren Inc. Smith And Co. Sprenkle & Associates Inc. The Benham Companies Inc.Treanor ArchitectsRichard P. Moore, Attorney At LawBancorpSouth Equipment FinanceGeorge K. Baum & Co.Central Bank The Commerce Trust Co. -A Divison Of Commerce BankCountry Club Bank Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.Piper Jaffray Inc.Sequoia Consulting GroupStifel, Nicolaus and CompanyUMB BankArning Canopy Systems Inc.Mid-Continental Restoration Co.

Oden Enterprises Inc.SBK Farm and RanchSullivan BrothersDEVNET Inc.Environmental SystemsResearch Institute (ESRI)Fidlar TechnologiesGovernMENTOR Systems Inc.Huber & AssociatesMidland GIS SolutionsThe Schneider Corporation Spatial Data Research Inc.The Sidwell CompanyTriMin Government SolutionsTyler Technologies/IncodeVanguard AppraisalsVillaGIS Inc.Snap-Tite/ISCO Industries LLCL.J. Hart & CompanyLiberty National Life InsuranceNationwide RetirementSolutionsMissouri ConsolidatedHealth Care Plan (MCHCP)ConEdison SolutionsControl TechnologyAnd Solutions (CTS)TraneBerry Tractor & Equipment Co.F&C Truck Sales & ServiceFabick CATKnapheide Truck Equipment Co.

Purple Wave Inc.Roland Machinery Co.Rudd Equipment Co.Sellers Equipment Inc.Victor L. Phillips Co.G.W. Van Keppel Co.Heartland Asphalt MaterialsAlliance Water ResourcesMark Twain RegionalCouncil Of Governments Meramec RegionalPlanning CommissionMissouri Energy Center Missouri Local TechnicalAssistance Program (MO-LTAP)Missouri VocationalEnterprisesNortheast Missouri RegionalPlanning CommissionPioneer Trails RegionalPlanning CommissionState EmergencyManagement Agency (SEMA)Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.Missouri Public EntityBenefits (MoPEB)Missouri Public Entity Risk Management Fund (MOPERM) Gilmore & Bell P.C.AT&TCellCast TechnologiesGrant Writing U.S.A.Advanced Correctional Healthcare


“there she stands, proud in all her glory.” county missouri

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